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Nation

Santorum surge forces Romney to shift focus

Rick Santorum’s surge in national polls is prompting Mitt Romney to begin talking more explicitly about his own conservative social views, in an attempt to blunt Santorum’s appeal to the Republican base. Romney had hoped to stay focused squarely on his economic message and downplay social issues that his advisers believe did not play to his strengths as a onetime businessman, Massachusetts governor, and Winter Olympics chief. But this week Romney inserted a new line into his stump speech: “We were able to enforce, I think it was a 1913 law, that kept Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage.’’

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Comments

I've never seen anyone flip on the issues, now he's Romney's concerned about the auto industry in Michigan. What's next?

Romney is a fool. He could have been a trans-formative figure in the Republican party by saying this is who I am and we need to firmly stop these culture wars and embrace the future. They will never overturn abortion and gay marriage everywhere is inevitable in the same way women can vote everywhere, blacks can intermarry with whites and vote anywhere, and poor old people are protected from financial calamity by social security, medicaid, and Medicare. Republicans will get there eventually and Romney could have stayed true to his real beliefs while still becoming the probable nominee. I still think it's primarily because he's a Mormon and all those tolerant Christians out there cannot deal with that...talk about irony!

What a hollow man! Now Mr. Romney struggles to remember the 1913 law he used to deny people their right to marry and brags about it. "We were able to enforce, I think it was a 1913 law, that kept Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage.' The 1913 law that Mr. Romney resurrected is an inherently racist law which aimed to prohibit non-residents from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would be void in their home state. Just as Massachusetts was on the forefront of same-sex marriage, in 1913 it allowed inter-racial marriages when most states did not. The original purpose of the law was anti-miscegenation as the intention was to block interracial couples from other states that banned interracial marriages from coming to Massachusetts to get married and secure the rights that come with marriage and create a stronger, more safe/healthy relationship and family. Its disgraceful that Mr. Romney brags about using this law in an attempt to say I'm like you, vote for me. If this is an expression of his true values, I say, no thank you.

Breaking news. Political Weathervane just shifted Midwest towards Michigan, Romney tacts Midwest, downplays NO support for helping GM & Chrysler. Uh, oh, Political Weathervane shifts Northeast, Romney in political n'easter vortex of wildly "spinning" changes of political opinions. Abortion, Ladies, yes you can, oops, no you can't. Support of Gay Rights, Men & Women here, yes you have my full support, oops, no you don't have my full support. I'll get back to you on all of these and more with a 3rd, 4th or more viewpoints if I win the nomination. I'm getting dizzy following Romney's political shifts. On that Political Weathermap. If the man had a moral compass the trip would be so much smoother.

A real leader would stand up to religious right instead of trying to pander to them. I guess this campaign has been a defining event for Mitt...